


Sharing Three Kisses

by CandyQueenAO3



Series: Ilha de Queimada Grande [5]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Human, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Blow Jobs, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Demisexuality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Humor, Implied/referenced felching, Love, M/M, Multi, Naga Crowley (Good Omens), Or At Least 2 of Them Are, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Romance, Threesome - M/M/M, VERY Awkward Conversations about Sex and Biology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandyQueenAO3/pseuds/CandyQueenAO3
Summary: In Chapter 23 of "Saltwater on Skin", Ezra gives Medina a quick kiss goodbye.What if that kiss became something MORE? What if Crowley and Ezra realized that they both wanted to welcome a third person to their relationship? How would the events of "Saltwater" diverge from there?This fic, requested by a few readers, serves to answer that question.(For context, it is HIGHLY recommended you read "Saltwater" in its entirety before reading this)
Relationships: Aziraphale (Good Omens)/Original Male Character(s), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley/Aziraphale/Original Male Character(s), Crowley/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Ilha de Queimada Grande [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704274
Comments: 97
Kudos: 104





	1. Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be frank with you all, I'm not the type of fic-writer to ship their own OC's with canon characters. A surprising number of people, however, wanted to see this "Poly AU" as I've dubbed it, and I had to deliver because I love you all and now I kinda wanna see it too lol.
> 
> There's no overarching plot of this fic beyond the events of "Saltwater". It's a fun little exploration in the form of one-shots about how the events of that story would diverge with the addition of Medina as a romantic partner.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A divergence of Chapter 23.
> 
> CW for brief, cuckold joke.

Ezra had awoken several times throughout the night, convinced that he was going to miss his family’s departure if he didn’t go to the beach _right now!_ Crowley would simply roll over in the nest, pin him down with an arm across his chest to keep him from bolting out into the night, and sleepily reassure him that Anathema and Gabriel would _never_ leave without saying goodbye. It took a few tries, but eventually Ezra was able to sleep through the rest of the night and awake the morning of the seventh and final day refreshed.

Now he and Crowley stood on the beach, watching the other four pack their things until they were ready (but not _ready-ready_ ) to go.

“So… what are you going to tell everybody when you get back to London?” Ezra asked his brother nervously. “You’re not going to announce to the public or my publishers that I’m not actually ‘dead’, are you?”

Gabriel ran a hand through his dark hair, sighing.

“This is… an unusual situation, I have to admit,” he said in the same tone as someone deliberating whether or not to call down a tactical strike from orbit. Crowley placed a protective arm around his mate’s shoulders. “I mean… who would _possibly_ believe me if I told them the truth? I guess I could tell your neighbor Tracy that you’re alright. She’s been pretty upset by your ‘loss’ after all. Would that be okay?”

“That would be fine, so long as she swears to secrecy. I trust her not to go to the press, of course, but perhaps don’t tell her everything? Give her some grand story about how I washed up on a small island and eloped with one of the natives and chose to stay behind to escape the whirlwind world of literary success, instead,”

Gabriel threw back his head with a bark of laughter. “That story will be _right_ up her alley. I’ll be sure to tell her that,” the smile fled from his face. “I’ll miss you, Sunshine.”

Ezra gave him a wobbly smile. “It’s alright, brother dear. Crowley and I have a nice radio and Medina’s offered to set you and Ana up with your own rigs so you all can stay in contact with me. I’ll call every day and well… I was thinking…”

Gabriel arched an eyebrow.

“...what if the four of you, once a year, came by for a weeklong vacation? I know it’s not ideal, but with Medina’s credentials I’m certain you all could make it here again without getting into trouble. I’d hate for this to be the last time we all see each other…”

The younger Fell brother lurched forward to embrace Ezra. “I’d love _nothing_ more, Sunshine. I hope you continue to be happy in the life you’ve chosen for yourself,” he whispered fiercely.

Ezra could no longer hold back the tears and sobbed into Gabriel’s shoulder. The two of them clung to each other, allowing the tears to fall freely until they tapered out into softer sniffles. Gabriel was the first to pull away.

“I love you, Ezra,”

“I love you too, Gabriel,”

Anathema stepped forward, eyes watering. “Hey, Ez! Don’t I get an emotional goodbye too?” she demanded.

 _“Absolutely,_ my dear!” Ezra took her into his arms. “I hope you agree to come visit me with Gabriel and the others.”

“God _Herself_ couldn’t stop me!” Anathema vowed.

Gabriel held out a hand to Crowley, who shook it.

“You’ll take care of my brother, right? You won’t let him get hurt?” he asked.

Crowley looked to Ezra with tender, besotted eyes. _“Always._ I’d rather die a _thousand_ times over than let any harm come to him.”

“I know you will, big guy,” Gabriel said. “Just let _him_ take care of you _too,_ alright?”

Crowley swallowed, then nodded shakily. Seemingly satisfied, Gabriel gave his brother one last clap on the shoulder, then climbed the gangplank back onto the ship. Anathema then gently pushed Ezra over to where her new boyfriend was waiting.

“Newt wants to say goodbye too,” she said with a friendly smile. “I’m gonna say ‘bye’ to Crowley for a moment.”

While Ezra was preoccupied with giving his farewell to the shy yacht-captain, Anathema held out her satchel to the naga. 

“I’ve compiled as many notes and instructions as I could, as well as procured a few samples to get you started on your ‘quest’,” she said. “I know it’s not my place, but I _really_ think you should let Ez know what you’re doing. What if he doesn’t _want_ to be made immortal like you? What if he wants to live out his days as a human?”

Crowley snatched the bag away, more than a little unkindly, then immediately looked chastised. “I… I know, human, I know. I _will_ tell him… _if_ I can find a successful recipe. I don’t want to get his hopes up in case I can’t.”

“That’s not an answer to my question, Crowley,” Anathema pressed. “What if he _doesn’t_ want to live forever?”

“You don’t think he would?” the redhead mumbled. He stared at her with cold, hard eyes that Anathema could see were simply used to mask the pain he felt. “You don’t think he’d want to be with me for as long as he could?”

“That’s not what I meant, and you _know it,_ you overdramatic noodle,” Anathema huffed. “You do realize that if you succeed, Ezra will outlive Gabe and I? He’d have to watch the rest of his family _die_ while he stayed the same. And what if you’re no longer interested in him and decide to end things later? Will you condemn him to an eternity of loneliness, unable to make lasting connections with anyone else?”

Crowley snarled quietly, eyes flashing, and Anathema backed away a step.

“I will **_never_** forsake him! If I find the correct formula, then great! I’ll tell him about it and let him make his decision. If he chooses not to take it, then I’ll love him for _all_ of his remaining days. If he _does_ choose to become immortal, however, then I will love him as he deserves for the rest of eternity!” he growled.

Anathema held up her hands in surrender.

“Alright. Fine. I’m sorry I implied that you would leave Ez. I just…” she sighed, with an expression that was both chagrined and contrite. “I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt him or anybody else.”

Crowley went stiff. His hands clutched the satchel so tightly that some of the stitches popped free. Had she been paying attention, Anathema would have noticed the way his eyes flickered orange for a split second.

“Th-thank you, human,” the naga said quietly.

“No problem, big guy. If you have any questions about potion-making, just have Ezra contact me and I’ll see what I can do!”

She gave him a friendly wave, a sororal peck to Ezra’s cheek, and scampered off to the ship, tugging Newt behind her.

Medina was the last to say goodbye, kicking nervously at a shell fragment. He couldn’t seem to meet neither Crowley nor Ezra’s eyes, so the redhead took pity on him and broke the silence.

“It was great getting to know you,” Crowley began. “Even if our first meeting, and several others after, were a bit… less than ideal.”

On second thought, maybe he shouldn't have been the one to speak first.

Medina, however, laughed.

“Yeah! I gotta say, meeting you two has _really_ turned my world upside down. Entirely for the better, of course,”

He tapped nervously at his thighs, trying to find the right things to say. He’d never been good with words. Action was more his speed.

“I want to thank you, Medina. You’ve been so kind to me, and so understanding towards Crowley. I truly can’t thank you enough,” Ezra said.

“It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it? I’m just glad that I got to know you both. Especially you, Ezra. Would that I had met you just a bit earlier…” Medina chuckled, only slightly bitter.

Ezra’s face did something funny, then. His brow drew together in the middle, and his lips pouted as if he were puzzling out some grand mystery. He glanced over his shoulder at where Crowley was watching, with fond amusement. The two of them shared some unspoken conversation, done entirely in blinks and eyebrow twitches, before Crowley heaved a put-upon sigh and held up one finger.

“You owe me, angel,” he teased.

“Absolutely, dearest. It’s the least I can do,”

Medina looked confused. “Owe him wha-” 

He was cut off by Ezra seizing his face and pressing their mouths together. Medina squeaked and flailed his arms before deciding to keep them fisted rigidly at his sides as he squeezed his eyes shut. From somewhere behind him, Anathema whooped.

When Ezra pulled away, Medina’s eyes were still rigidly closed and he looked like a man facing his own execution. 

“Oh. That was rather nice, actually,” the blond said breathlessly.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he dove back in for a second kiss. On Medina’s lips, Ezra could taste the faintest tang of ocean spray. Ezra’s hands remained where they were on the sides of his friend’s face, but he could feel Medina’s arms link behind his lower back, pulling their bodies flush together. Ezra tilted his head, adjusting the angle of the kiss. When he licked into Medina’s mouth, chasing that sea-salt taste, he delighted in the desperate moan he received. Their tongues tangled, and Ezra’s hands had migrated to Medina’s thick, dark curls. 

Quite suddenly, they both remembered at the same time where they were and _who Ezra was mated to_ and jerked themselves apart, panting for breaths. Medina wobbled where he stood and Ezra spun around to look at Crowley, a desperate apology already on his lips.

Crowley, however, didn’t look upset.

In fact, he looked almost… excited.

His lips were parted slightly and his pupils had dilated to the point that they were almost round. Ezra glanced back to an unsteady Medina (who looked like he’d been bludgeoned upside the head with cupid’s entire quiver) then to Crowley, who hadn’t blinked once. The blond peered over Medina’s shoulder to see Newt, Anathema, and Gabriel gaping at him, open-mouthed. He held up a finger.

“Give us a moment, would you?” he asked, voice full of strained cheer.

He grabbed Medina’s hand and practically dragged him to where Crowley was standing, before taking the naga’s hand in his free one and pulling _both_ of them to the cover of the treeline. 

“Oh God… you’re going to have Crowley kill me where the others can see, aren’t you?” gulped Media. “Just please make it quick.”

“We’re not going to _hurt you,_ dear boy. I actually just noticed something that I think the three of us should discuss,” Ezra said, glancing between his mate and his friend. He turned to face Crowley and took his hands in his own. “Dearest… did you _like_ seeing me kiss Medina?”

The redhead sputtered and made a series of consonant sounds that could _barely_ be considered words.

“I- erm- ngk- no? Yesss? Sssssort of?” He mentally cast about, looking for the right thing to say.

“I mean- Boat Human’s pretty good-looking, not gonna lie. And- and you’re _gorgeous,_ angel, and I love you and want you to be happy and kissing him obviously _made_ you happy and-”

Medina held up his hands like he was fending off an attacker.

“Um… if this is going where I think this is going, I have to say that I’m not comfortable being your Bull,” he cut in, silencing Crowley’s babbling. “I _really_ like you, Fell, and I don’t want this to be just a sex thing.”

Ezra turned so red that the other two men started worrying he was about to explode.

“Th-that’s _not_ what I was talking about!”

“What does he mean by ‘Bull’?” Crowley whispered into his mate’s ear. “Is Boat Human like me? I thought _I_ was the only half human creature in your life?”

Ezra whimpered and hid his face in his hands. He was _not_ looking forward to explaining modern-day lingo for cuckoldry to Crowley.

“It’s… I’ll tell you later. But, my love, I have to ask you something,” Ezra uncovered his still cherry-red face and took both of Crowley’s hands in his. “What would you say to… inviting another person in? Like… like having _two_ mates instead of just one?”

“I don’t _want_ another mate! I just want _you!”_ the naga protested sourly.

“Alright, not another mate. What about another boyfriend? For you and me both?” Ezra asked. “You don’t have to make him your mate and I don’t have to make him mine and he doesn’t have to make us his. The three of us can just all be boyfriends together.”

Inwardly, Ezra was wincing. He, Crowley, and Medina were all grown men and “boyfriend” sounded so juvenile to him, like they were just slipping notes into each other’s lockers in high school.

Medina caught on first and his hickory-coloured eyes widened in surprise, delight, and a fair bit of hope. 

“I… uh… I personally wouldn’t mind. You’re not too bad looking yourself, Crowley, and you’re a pretty incredible bloke,” he said carefully.

Crowley’s eyes narrowed to slits, then shot open as his own realization sank in. 

“Oh! Um… Thank you, Boat Human. Same to you,” he said with a nervous shrug.

Ezra watched the two of them interact, then said to his mate, “Darling, this is all up to you; nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. If you want to give the three of us being together romantically a try, then we can all take it day-by-day. Whatever you choose, I will _always_ love _you_ first and foremost. Don’t _ever_ doubt that my sweet, silly serpent.”

Crowley sighed and leaned down until his forehead was pressed against Ezra’s in an oft-used gesture of affection.

After a moment, he spoke.

“If it’s okay with you, then I’d like to give ‘the three of us’ a try,” the naga said.

“It is,”

Ezra lifted his chin just enough to catch Crowley’s mouth in a tender, soft kiss filled with love and understanding. Medina smiled warmly at the sight.

“I hope you both realize that I can’t stay here,” he pointed out. “I can come by whenever I’m in the area or on shore-leave, but a lot of time will be spent long-distance.”

“Would that be a dealbreaker for you?” Ezra asked.

Crowley glanced over to Medina. “You’re welcome to stay, if you want.”

“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to settle down in one place just yet. There’s still so much I want to do with my career; lives I want to save,” the dark-haired human admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You guys still have my old radio, though, so we can keep in contact with that.”

The other two smiled understandingly, and Crowley was the first to ask the question that hung in the air.

“So what now?”

By way of answer, Ezra walked over to Medina and ran his hands down the front of the captain’s red shirt, smoothing out the fabric. Without looking back to Crowley, he said with a playful smirk, “What’s ‘next’ is that we say farewell to our newest partner until we see him again.”

With that, the flat palms on Medina’s chest turned to grasping fists and Ezra pulled the taller man down into another kiss. This one was softer than the one on the beach, more tender. Medina’s chest _ached_ like it had been carved out by the very same hands on it.

After a few honey-sweet moments, Ezra pulled back and pressed his face against Medina’s, cheek-to-cheek.

“Do be safe, handsome,” he smiled, pressing a quick peck to his cheek.

Medina squeezed him tightly. “You too, beautiful.”

Crowley slithered forward with a cocky grin. “Yeah, you’re handsome alright, but I’m still gonna call you Boat Human.”

“Only if I can still call you ‘big guy’,” chuckled Medina.

“Deal,” the naga agreed and seized his new paramour by the front of his shirt to lift him up one-handedly into a quick, clumsy kiss that was somewhat reminiscent of the first one he and Ezra had ever shared.

When it was done, Crowley set Medina back on the ground again and the naval captain had to take a minute to get his bearings. 

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna… gonna get on the boat now…”

Ezra giggled and looped his arm through Medina’s to keep the poor dear steady. “Allow us to lead the way.”

***~*~*~*~***

After Anathema had had her conversation with Gabriel at the stern of the ship on their journey back home, the younger Fell brother moved into the cabin to look for something to pass the time with. Anathema watched out of the corner of her eye as Medina leaned over the railing a few feet away with a blissed-out expression on his face that left little to the imagination of what his, Crowley, and Ezra’s conversation had been about.

The occultist smiled knowingly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that slipped from her bun.

“So tell me, captain, did you three have a productive discussion?” she asked, daring to take a peek into his aura.

The golden color of his Attraction for Ezra was still there, but now had a twin beside it that Anathema knew wasn’t for her best friend. The two Attractions were threaded together with a single, hair-thin strand of pink the color of dawn. It wasn’t Love, not quite yet. More of a tentative, unfurling, Potential Love. Bouncing around Medina’s aura were several periwinkle-colored blobs indicating a Dreamlike mental state.

Sure enough, the poor besotted man didn’t seem to hear her so Anathema repeated her question.

“Y-yeah. It was fine. Didn’t think I’d end this rescue mission with two new boyfriends,” Medina joked as the woman beside him allowed herself a secretive grin.

***~*~*~*~***

Crowley stood in the surf with Ezra, his arm around his mate’s shoulders as the blond sniffled and watched the rapidly shrinking cruiser in the distance.

“It’s alright, angel. Let it out. I know you’ll miss them. They’ll miss you too. Thank you _so much_ for choosing me; for _loving_ me,” he whispered, rubbing the skin beneath his palm.

“There was simply nothing for it,” Ezra said, giving him a weak, but genuine smile. “I wanted to stay here with _you._ This place is my home now. _You’re_ my home now.”

What else could Crowley do _but_ kiss him?

When they broke apart, Ezra stroked the other man’s cheek with soft fingertips.

“Thank you for being open to the idea of Medina becoming part of our relationship,” he said with a slightly bigger smile. “He really is a good man and I can tell you really like him too.”

Crowley shrugged, staring out at the open water. “Of course I like him. He’s protected you when I couldn’t.”

“Oh don’t be so obstinate. You and I know that’s not the only reason why,” Ezra said cheekily, elbowing his mate in the ribs.

Crowley’s retort came in the form of picking Ezra up and tossing him into the ocean.


	2. The First Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after agreeing to enter a relationship with Crowley and Ezra, after keeping in contact daily, Medina returns to the island for a five-day-long visit with his partners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, as well as the next few, take place in that one-year interval between Chapters 23 and 24 of "Saltwater". You'll recognize the gift that Medina gives Ezra as being the blank journals from Chapter 29. As I've said, I've moved around a few details, and some aspects of canon in "Saltwater"-verse get changed in this AU of an AU lol
> 
> Thank you to grayscaletestimony for suggesting what Crowley's gift could be!

“Wake up, darling. Today’s the day!” Ezra said giddily. “We have to get down to the beach right away!”

Crowley groaned and rolled over in the nest, pulling a pillow over his face.

“Do I  _ have  _ to?” the naga pleadingly whined to his mate.

“Yes you do, you lazy snake,” Ezra huffed, pulling him into a seated position by his wrists. “We need to greet Medina  _ properly  _ when he shows up!”

Crowley pitched forward a little until he was sagging in his mate’s arms, nose-to-nose.

“Oh? What did you have in mind for a ‘proper’ greeting?” the naga purred, curling his tail. “Anything I wouldn’t approve of?”

“Don’t be so crass,” Ezra half-chided. With a giggle, he pulled out of Crowley’s grasp and stood up. “It’s only  _ polite  _ to greet your boyfriend when he returns home from a voyage at sea.”

“About that… it’s been an entire  _ month!  _ You think he’ll  _ ever  _ be ready to come live with us?”

“I’m not certain,” the human answered earnestly. “Medina seems to be quite attached to his job and I’d hate to force him to choose between us or it.”

A strange look came over Crowley’s face then. 

He slithered towards the blond, hands fidgeting nervously with the end of his tail. “And what about you? You  _ loved  _ writing. Do you feel like you had to choose between continuing it, or being my mate?”

“Oh, darling… I never got the chance to choose, true, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’d have chosen you regardless,” the human replied with a peck to a lightly freckled nose. Crowley sighed happily and returned the gesture with a kiss of his own.

***~*~*~*~***

Crowley and Ezra stood on the beach together, watching a small boat drift closer to shore. The naga subconsciously tightened his coils around his mate. His higher thought processes knew that, yes, the ship was most likely carrying Medina for his visit and that Crowley didn’t need to worry. 

The primal, more animalistic hindbrain of his, however, couldn’t help but remember all the other times humans had come to his shore…

“C-Crowley, darling?” Ezra winced. “You’re squishing me a little…”

“Ssssssorry,” Crowley said nervously, slackening his hold. “Forgot myssself.”

The boat sputtered to a stop, bobbing amongst the waves, and from their spot on shore the two of them could see Medina climbing out of the Captain’s Cabin.

He lifted a hand to wave. “Permission to come ashore, gentlemen?”

“Permission granted!” Ezra giggled. He turned to Crowley. “Would you do the honors, dearest?”

The redhead smiled back. “It would be my pleasure.”

Medina braced himself against the railing as, instead of grabbing the chain anchor and hoisting the boat ashore, Crowley waded into the water behind it and  _ pushed. _

Ezra scrambled backwards to avoid the furrow of sand kicked up. Once the boat was secure, Medina laughed and unclenched his fingers from the railing.

“I’m never gonna get used to seeing that…”

He moved to leap over the boat and onto the sand, but was caught halfway down by Crowley’s wiry arms.

“Hey, Boat Human. Welcome back,”

Medina made a sputtering, strangled noise that was so much like one of Crowley’s that Ezra couldn’t help but loudly snort out a laugh.

“Y-you can put me down, Big Guy,” the captain said with a strained, flustered smile. “Unlike  _ some people  _ I have legs.”

Ezra snorted again and Crowley made a noise of mock offense. He set him back down, though.

“Shame. I liked holding you. You’re even warmer than Ezra,” the redhead sighed wistfully. Then, he pinched one of Medina’s biceps. “Although… not quite as soft as I’d like.”

Medina smacked his hand away.

“I happen to be  _ perfect,  _ thank you very much!” he said, then frowned in remembrance. “Oh yeah! Speaking of perfect, I brought you guys some gifts!”

Ezra pouted.

“You didn’t have to do that!” he objected. Medina only waved him off in response. “I’m serious! Crowley and I don’t have anything to give, so you’ve put us somewhat at odds, here!”

The naval captain reached into the bookbag at his side and pulled out a bulky, wrapped package festooned in red and green.

He held it out to his boyfriend. “I didn’t have any other wrapping paper except for Christmas colors. This one’s for you, gorgeous.”

While Crowley watched over the blond’s shoulder, Ezra peeled back the wrapping. He gasped aloud when he saw that the gift was three thick, blank journals tied together with a string and packet of ballpoint pens.

“Th… this is…” he whispered and drew his fingers across the covers.

“It’s so you can go back to writing! I’m not sure if that’s enough paper, but I can always bring you more whenever I visit,” Medina stated proudly.

Ezra sobbed and pulled his boyfriend to him for a tight hug, who returned it enthusiastically.

_ “Thank you!  _ You have  _ no idea  _ what this means to me!” the blond said through grateful tears.

“I’ve got  _ some  _ idea,” Medina chuckled. “I remembered how I once promised to get you some paper, and I’m a man of my word.”

Ezra set the bundle down on the sand and stood on his tiptoes to entwine his fingers together at the nape of Medina’s neck. “It’s a little too early for the ‘L-word’ but… I  _ really, really,  _ like you for this.”

Medina pulled him closer by the small of his back. He smiled flirtatiously. “In that case I  _ really, really  _ like you too.” He leaned down to share a sweet kiss with Ezra and then pulled away with a breathless, “That feels  _ much  _ better than just talking and falling asleep over the radio once a night.”

He gave Ezra’s waist a quick squeeze, then pulled out another object from inside his bag. This one was wrapped just as clumsily, and a yellow corner poked out from a tear in the paper. He handed it to Crowley who gave it a nervous flit of his tongue to smell it.

The naga scratched at the exposed corner. “What is it?”

Medina gave him a smug grin. “Open it and find out.”

Crowley stuck out his tongue again, this time in mockery, then shredded the rest of the wrapping. In his hands, he held a bright yellow, brick-shaped piece of plastic from which dangled a pair of fragile-looking headphones.

Ezra groaned.  _ “Please  _ tell me that’s not what I think it is…”

“It’s a  _ Walkman!”  _ Medina declared, ignoring him completely.

Crowley turned the outdated device over in his hands, as if looking for legs on it. “It… walks?”

“Nonono, it plays  _ music,”  _ Medina replied with humor in his voice.

Crowley pinched the wire of the headphones. “But we already have a radio for music.”

“Yes, but this lets you take music  _ anywhere!  _ Check it out!”

Medina pressed a button on the side, then slipped the headphones over Crowley’s ears.

_ Thunderbolts and lightning! Very, very frightening me! _

The naga squawked and pawed the headphones off. He would have chucked the Walkman to the sand had Ezra not caught it mid-throw.

“What was  _ that?!  _ It sounded like people  _ screaming!”  _ Crowley demanded, glaring at the device.

“Proooobably shouldn’t have started with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’,” 

Medina chuckled dryly and took the Walkman from Ezra. He pressed the fast forward button, waited a few moments for the cassette to go to the next song, and passed it back to Crowley who allowed the headphones to be put back on with  _ great  _ reluctance.

_ Ooh, love. Ooh, loverboy. _

_ Whatcha doin’ tonight? Hey, boy! _

Crowley made a noise that was somewhat reminiscent of a chirp of delight. 

“I like  _ this one!” _

“That’s good! I’ve got a few more tapes in my bag here with other bands. That one’s called Queen, and I have another tape for a group called Velvet Underground,” Medina said happily, shifting his pack.

Crowley frowned, then stared down at his Walkman in confusion.

“‘Queen’? But these sound like men… they’re letting men be Queens now?”

Ezra hid his third and hopefully final giggle-snort behind his hand. “It’s just a name, darling, not a title.”

“Ohhh…”

While Crowley contemplated ever-shifting gender roles in a monarchical society, Medina took the hand that Ezra offered him.

“How long will you be staying?” the blond asked.

“Five days,” Medina replied, glancing to where Crowley was humming along to what sounded like “Under Pressure”. 

“Excellent! And will you be sleeping on the boat or would you prefer to stay with us in our nest?” Ezra asked.

“Whatever’s alright with you two. I’d hate to impose where I’m not wanted,” his boyfriend said.

“‘Not wanted’?! Don’t you  _ dare  _ say those two  _ awful  _ words again!” Ezra practically snapped. “You are  _ always  _ wanted here, and are welcome in our nest as well!”

Crowley lifted one of the headphone covers, looking distinctly crestfallen.

“Boat Human doesssn’t wanna sleep in our nest?”

At the sight of Crowley’s visible disappointment at the thought of  _ not  _ bunking together, Medina felt some of his insecurities regarding this new aspect of their relationship melt away.

“Nah, I do,” he said finally. Ezra gave him a dazzling smile that had him weak in the knees, and the relieved one Crowley passed his way compounded the feeling. “I just misspoke is all.”

“Good,” Crowley said with finality, slithering to his and Ezra’s partner and kissing his cheek.

***~*~*~*~***

“Well, you’ve already seen the interior of the nest before but allow me to give the Grand Tour,” Ezra said as he, Crowley, and Medina entered the small chamber of their cave that housed the nest proper. He gestured in a sweeping arc at the numerous pillows and blankets. “This is it.”

_ “Very  _ riveting,” Crowley said, setting down Medina’s suitcase in an empty corner. The blond gave a sarcastic, melodramatic gasp.

Medina looked thoughtfully at the place he would be calling “home” for the next five days. It certainly  _ looked  _ inviting, what with the almost ethereal glow from the cave-moss that reflected off the white crystals studded in the walls. Still, he had a few concerns. He’d slept on worse, certainly (military cots were somewhat infamous for their… unpleasantness), but being on the ground had to be worse, right?

“I don’t mean to sound offensive but is this really… comfortable?” he asked.

Crowley and Ezra shared a knowing glance, then the human half of the two crossed his arms over his chest with the tiniest hint of a smirk.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

“Pardon?”

Medina froze when Crowley seized his biceps and pushed him down to the cushions, keeping him there with the weight of his body. The redhead pressed a quick kiss to his stunned lips, then pulled away. 

_ Huh… this  _ **_is_ ** _ pretty cozy… _

When Medina went limp where he lay, Crowley and Ezra came to lie down on either side of him. Ezra, to his right, stroked a hand across his broad, muscular chest.

“See?” he purred. “Lovely isn’t it?”

Medina blinked sleepily. 

He’d sailed almost an entire day and all through the night to get to the island, and the fatigue of the journey was finally creeping up on him. “M-hm…”

Crowley cooed in sympathy and began playing with Medina’s dark curls. Ezra’s hair had a fluffy, glossy texture to it, like clouds. Medina’s hair was coarse, with a wiry feel that was simply irresistible to the touch-sensitive naga. “Aw, poor sailor. I think he needs a bit of relaxation, don’t you think, angel?”

“I think  _ so,  _ dearest,” Ezra agreed, and he scooted closer.

Crowley shifted his arm, sliding it under Medina’s back to hold the exhausted human close to his side. Ezra followed eagerly, resting his head atop his boyfriend’s chest and folding his arm across Medina’s stomach to take Crowley’s free hand. The cuddle-puddle was completed by the naga draping his tail over all three of them like a weighted, scaly blanket.

The warmth, the gentle touches, and the softness of the nest all conspired to tenderly coax Medina down into a well-deserved nap. His face went slack and his head lolled to the side, nose buried in Ezra’s curls.

“Sleep well,” Crowley said at the same time Ezra tilted his head up a little to delicately press a kiss to the underside of Medina’s chin.


	3. First Time?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Trio tries to explore the physical aspect of their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally, I give a little heads up before I start the smut. However, this time, no smut actually occurs, though things DO get heavy, so I elected not to give it. 
> 
> CW for brief panic attack, and sort of safewording out.

When Medina woke up some indeterminate amount of time later, sensation returned to him in a trickle. His first thought was that he was very warm and comfortable. The scent of moonflowers clung to the warm air and he remembered that he had fallen asleep in Ezra and Crowley’s nest.

Or… was it  _ his  _ nest too?

Medina expected to have felt stiff from sleeping on the floor, but to his immense surprise he felt well refreshed. He made a sleepy little noise and went to sit up, but something was keeping him in place.

It was a heavy, black tail.

Said tail was currently attached to Crowley, who had rolled onto his side to drape a long arm across Medina’s chest. On his other side, Ezra was on his back with his hands folded on his stomach which rose and fell with slow, even breaths. The blond was sleeping at an angle like he was leaning against Medina for support, his head pillowed on the naval captain’s shoulder.

Medina wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep for, but it was evidently long enough for his boyfriends to decide that following him into unconsciousness would be a pleasant idea.

Before he could stop himself, he groaned, “What time is it?”

Ezra, being a light sleeper, allowed his eyes to flutter open. He gave a dainty yawn and stretch before turning to face the man beside him.

“What was that, my dear?” he asked sleepily.

“I said, ‘what time is it’,” Medina replied, feeling somewhat guilty that he’d woken Ezra up from a pleasant nap. The dark-haired man was vaguely aware of Crowley stirring to consciousness.

“It’ssssss time to go back to  _ sleep,  _ that’s what time it is,” the naga said agitatedly.

Ezra leaned across Medina’s muscular chest to playfully smack his mate’s forehead.

“You’ve slept quite enough, you lazy serpent!” he admonished teasingly.

_ “You  _ just want to get up because you’re hungry,” Crowley retorted, pushing himself into a seated position.

His tail fell away, allowing Medina and Ezra to do the same. “Guilty as charged, my love,” the youngest of the three giggled.

He climbed to his feet and padded out of the nest towards the cave entrance. When he saw that the sun had gone  _ completely  _ down and the moon had risen just over the horizon, he squawked in surprise.

“Huh. Guess we were asleep longer than I thought,” Crowley remarked, staring out into the darkened jungle beyond.

Medina gently pushed his way past the other two to gape open-mouthed at the sight of the stars beyond the jungle’s canopy, shining in all their unobstructed glory. He sighed adoringly. “It’s just as  _ beautiful  _ as it was the first night I came here,” he said, dropping his voice to a reverential whisper.

“Ooh! You just gave me an excellent idea! The three of us can have a nice beachside bonfire!” Ezra said, giddy at the idea.

“I  _ thought  _ you might have wanted to do something like that,” Medina said with absolute conviction. “So I came prepared with marshmallows.” 

***~*~*~*~***

Crowley gnawed at the corner of the bag of marshmallows to get it open, while Medina stoked the fire pit. Ezra watched his mate for a while with  _ great  _ amusement, before turning to face his boyfriend.

“How has your family been, dear?” Ezra asked him. “You don’t really talk about them much.”

“Do they know about us?” Crowley asked, finally ripping a hole in the bag (but not without sending a marshmallow or two flying).

“Yeah. But not about… you know,” Medina replied awkwardly, waving at Crowley’s tail.

The naga made a noise of agreement, before fishing out a squishy marshmallow and holding it up to the firelight. He gave it a tiny squeeze.

“Hey, angel, this candy-thing looks like you!” he said jokingly.

Ezra ignored his mate’s dumb joke in favor of speaking to Medina more.

“I’m rather impressed with your family’s open-mindedness,” the blond remarked, pale eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“My parents are good people,” Medina said, expertly catching a marshmallow that was tossed to him by Crowley and skewering it on a metal prong in one fluid movement. “They raised me and my younger siblings right.”

“How many have you got?” Crowley asked around a mouthful of sweets. He was eager to bond with his boyfriend over obnoxious family members.

“I think I might have you beat, big guy,” Medina chuckled, sitting on the sand beside Ezra. “I have  _ five  _ younger siblings.”

Crowley choked on his marshmallows and Ezra shot the dark-haired man a stunned look. “Good  _ lord!” _

“Yup. There’s Marta, Diego, Teresa, André, and Luis,” Medina said proudly, counting them off on his fingers.

_ “Wow!  _ Guess your parents just couldn’t keep their hands off each other, huh?” Crowley laughed.

_ “That’s  _ an understatement. My father, César, takes my mother, Nicole, on a ‘Honeymoon Renewal’ trip back to England once a year. They both live in Brazil, where I was born, but my mom’s English like you, Ezra,”

“How  _ romantic,”  _ the blond sighed dreamily, elbows on his knees and hands on either side of his own face like he was watching a rom-com unfold before his eyes. Medina smiled at him, attention drawn to the other man’s sparkling gaze.

“Pfft, you’re such a sap,” Crowley teased, getting up only to immediately sit back down beside Ezra.

“That’s funny, because  _ I  _ seem to recall a certain serpent telling me he’d take me to see my mother’s stars, and then  _ doing  _ so,” Ezra retorted. Medina barked out a laugh and Crowley grumbled petulantly.

“You’ve ruined my reputation to Boat Human,” Crowley said mournfully, an arm thrown dramatically over his face. “I’m supposed to be  _ intimidating!” _

“No offense, big guy, but, apart from our first meeting, you were  _ never  _ intimidating,” Medina said. Then his face fell, and he sucked his bottom lip behind his teeth. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it in favor of, “Well… and that… that time you thought I was hurting Ezra.”

Crowley went stiff. The air around the three of them no longer felt like a warm summer night, but more like the temperature had dropped thirty degrees; like even the heat from the fire had been sucked away.

Now, being with Medina in a  _ romantic  _ context rather than a  _ platonic  _ one, Crowley’s guilt and shame returned full-force. His face scrunched up in humiliation, and the dark-haired human on the other side of Ezra was idly tracing circles in the sand with his knees curled to his chest.

Things had gotten  _ very  _ awkward,  _ very  _ fast.

Ezra wasn’t sure what to do in order to get the upbeat mood back on track, but Crowley spoke up before he could intervene.

“Medina, I… I’m ssssssssorry. For  _ everything  _ I did to you, and all the timesssss I hurt you,”

“You already apologized, remember? It’s alright,” the other replied, beginning to fidget uncomfortably under his boyfriend’s heavy stare.

To his relief, Crowley smiled slightly in gratitude. “Then let’s start over. From the beginning,” the naga said. He extended a hand. “Hello. I’m Crowley. I will not attack you or hurt you.”

Medina had to practically crawl into Ezra’s lap to take the hand offered to him.

“I’m Carlos Medina,” he said, grinning cheekily. Then, he suddenly tugged Crowley forward to give him a quick peck. When they pulled apart, his smirk was still affixed in place. “And I  _ still  _ don’t think you’re intimidating.”

“Can  _ I  _ expect a kiss or two as well before the evening’s out?” Ezra hinted.

Crowley sat back on his haunches with an indulgent chuckle before turning his mate’s face towards his own to share a soft, lazy kiss. When Ezra glanced to Medina expectantly, the other man hesitated for a moment. It was still somewhat stunning that he was  _ allowed  _ to do this.

Despite that, however, it was surprisingly easy for him to lean over and press his mouth to Ezra’s. The kiss was soft, with barely enough pressure to even  _ register  _ as such. 

Medina pulled away and Ezra sighed, as if annoyed.  _ “Surely  _ you can do better than  _ that?” _

The naval captain startled when he felt fingers thread into his hair to draw him into a  _ deeper  _ kiss. Medina could count on one hand the number of times he’s kissed Ezra, so it was a bit clumsy when he nervously opened his mouth to allow his boyfriend’s tongue entry. Ezra sighed happily and his hands on pitch-black curls tightened. Medina winced a little at the sharp tug on his scalp, but at that moment in time he wouldn’t have complained had Ezra kneed him in the stomach.

Crowley, enjoying the show but feeling a tad left out, slithered closer. He curled his tail around the two snogging humans, pulling them together at the same time he pressed his chest to Ezra’s back. Crowley tugged a bit of his mate’s shirt to the side so he could kiss the slope of his shoulder, the curve of his neck, the jut of his chin, all the way up to the apples of his cheeks which had gone rosy with delight. The naga’s hands roamed up and down Ezra’s sides, and the blond had to stifle a ticklish giggle.

Medina suddenly ended what was promising to be a  _ very  _ productive evening by pulling his mouth away from Ezra’s. He didn’t go far, still practically glued to his front.

“Are we-? Can-? Um… I’ve never…”

“What are you…” Ezra paused, then blinked. “Are you… are you saying you’ve never had-”

“Are you a virgin?” Crowley blurted from over his mate’s shoulder.

Ezra made a scandalized sound at the naga’s brusqueness, and Medina blushed red all the way down to his collar. “In every sense of the word,” he muttered, trying not to faint with embarrassment. “You were my first kiss, Ezra.”

All images of Carlos Medina: Sexy Naval Captain Extraordinaire slid out of both Crowley and Ezra’s minds to be replaced with Medina: The Shy Virgin. They were, admittedly, a little dumbfounded by the cognitive dissonance. Crowley barely restrained a panicked,  _ “How?!”.  _ Ezra, for his part, looked gently concerned.

“Are you  _ sure  _ you want to do this?” he asked. He reached up a hand to softly caress Medina’s lightly-stubbled cheek. “Virginity, as a concept, doesn’t mean anything, but one’s first time  _ can  _ be somewhat frightening; doubly-so when there’s more than one partner involved. If you’re not up to this, there’s no shame in it.”

Medina smiled, trying to appear confident. “No, I… I  _ want  _ this. I just… go easy on me, please?”

_ “I  _ will. Not so sure about  _ him,  _ though,” Crowley said teasingly, jerking his chin towards Ezra.

He was jabbed with an elbow in retaliation.

“That’s not something to joke about!” Ezra tutted. “How about we put out the fire, go back to the nest where it’s comfortable, and then take it slowly from there?”

Medina nodded gratefully and allowed his hand to be taken.

***~*~*~*~***

True to Ezra’s word, the nest  _ was  _ more comfortable, and the warmth and softness of it did  _ wonders  _ to soothe Medina’s jangled nerves. He sat back on his heels, seiza, in a pile of cushions across from Ezra and Crowley, the three of them forming a triangle from their positions in the nest.

“How do you want to start this?” Crowley asked, breaking the silence.

Medina lifted shy eyes to Ezra’s face.

“Can I… that is… can I undress you?”

“You can do  _ whatever  _ you want,” the blond said, soothing and delighted in equal measure. “Nothing here happens tonight without  _ your  _ say-so.”

Medina swallowed, and then he scooted across the scant distance between them to slip trembling fingers under the hem of Ezra’s shirt. He pulled it up, inch by careful inch, until it slipped free past a head of cream-colored curls, revealing a soft, warm torso. The naval captain laid a broad, calloused hand directly over Ezra’s heart, feeling the steady  _ thump-thump  _ of it beneath his palm. His boyfriend’s chest was hairless, so much unlike his own.

“Is everything alright?” Crowley asked, angling his head a little to try and catch Medina’s eyes.

“I- I’m fine,” Medina reassured him, turning his head a little to playfully kiss Crowley’s nose. “Just nerves. I don’t wanna mess this up.”

“You won’t mess  _ anything  _ up,” Ezra insisted. “If it’s alright, may I touch you?”

Medina nodded and Ezra took the opportunity to slide his hands up the other man’s arms, over his shoulders, and down his still-clothed chest. Medina shivered at the contact and sucked in a breath.

He eagerly kissed Ezra again, the pair of them tipping over onto the pillows. Crowley laughed and leaned down to kiss the side of Medina’s face as his hand ran through thick, dark curls that were such a contrast to the ones of his mate.

While those two were occupied, the naga slipped a hand beneath Medina’s shirt collar to lightly scrape his nails across a small, dusky nipple. Medina squeaked at the slight pleasure-pain, detaching his mouth from Ezra’s. Crowley seized on the opportunity and curled his other hand around the nape of the captain’s neck to drag their faces together for a kiss of his own.

“You doing okay, Boat Human?” he asked when they pulled apart.

Medina nodded, breaths coming in quick, short pants.

“Would you like us to keep touching you? Or would you prefer to continue undressing me?” Ezra asked. Medina’s eyes darted around like he couldn’t quite decide between the two, so the blond gave a third suggestion. “Or would you prefer  _ Crowley  _ touches you while  _ I  _ undress myself? Give you a bit of a show?”

Medina’s eyebrows lifted, his mouth dropping open at the same time. He nodded so fast that his neck practically creaked.

Crowley chuckled, “That’ssss a ‘yes, please’ if ever I’ve seen one.”

Ezra laughed lightly and then pushed himself up onto his knees in a kneeling position. While he fumbled with the button on his shorts, Crowley ran barely-there fingertips down Medina’s check. His thumb came to rest right at the seam of a pair of slightly chapped lips. Medina opened his mouth to swipe his tongue over the digit.

At the sight of that, Ezra abandoned all pretext of a slow strip and drew his shorts down his legs to toss them haphazardly away until he was sitting there in nothing but a tented pair of boxers. Medina went still, eyeing the clothed erection like it held the answers to all the world’s mysteries.

“You're still wearing all your things, dear,” Ezra pointed out to his boyfriend. “Would you like us to undress you, or would you feel more comfortable doing it yourself?”

Medina, in that moment, wanted nothing more than to be completely naked with his partners. However, he also felt a spike of trepidation that had less to do with how he perceived his physical appearance, and more of a fear of taking this next major step in their relationship.

When no immediate answer from the poleaxed human was forthcoming, Crowley took a chance and leaned in to kiss Medina’s slack lips. His hands slipped just under the hem of the other’s t-shirt, and he lifted his face to make sure he made eye contact with his boyfriend.

“Do you want me to do it? Do you want to continue?”

Medina nodded this time, indicating he was comfortable in being disrobed. Crowley lifted the shirt over his head, then set to work on his jeans. The dark-haired man gave a soft moan when he felt them dragged clumsily down and off his legs. His erect cock strained against the confining fabric of his boxer-briefs, and he noted with no small amount of delight that Crowley stared at it with intensity and Ezra’s lips parted eagerly.

The sight of them, staring at him in unabashed lust, had Medina’s face warming pleasantly. He leaned back on his hands, legs splayed in a v-shape in front of him, unsure of what to do next. This time, Ezra took the lead. He slid forward to straddle a firm thigh, his fingers dancing across Medina’s muscular chest.

“You’re  _ magnificent,”  _ he breathed. “You and Crowley both. How did I ever get so lucky as to be able to call such strong,  _ beautiful  _ men mine?”

Medina couldn’t form a reply. It was  _ one  _ thing to have strangers remarking on his good looks. It was  _ another  _ to have someone he cared about and was deeply attracted to whisper it to him in a voice like honey.

If Medina hadn’t already been painfully hard, that would have been the final nail in the coffin.

Then, Ezra cupped a hand over his erection and everything was suddenly  _ too much. _

The wires for lust and nervousness in his brain got crossed, cancelling each other out and the sudden void in their wake brought only  _ panic.  _ He jolted upright, yanking Ezra’s hand away.

“S-stop!  _ Stop!”  _ he choked, his voice gone high.

Ezra immediately scrambled off of him, his hands held up to show they weren’t going to touch him again.

“It’s alright, dear. It’s alright,” he said in a hushed, tender voice.

Crowley’s eyes had gone from hungry to concerned in the span of two “stops”.

“Are you okay, Boat Human? Are you with us?”

Medina blinked. His head was clearer now that things had slowed down. He breathed in a shudder, then squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. Crowley’s gentle hand had come to rest on his shoulder, that same thumb Medina had licked as a tease now stroking slowly over his trembling muscles. Ezra had taken both his hands and was pressing kisses to the knuckles.

Medina’s eyes, to his horror and  _ shame,  _ filled with embarrassed tears. Ezra knelt before him, a patient look written across his features.

“We don’t have to go any further tonight,” he said.

Medina shut his eyes again.

“This is  _ humiliating!  _ I’ve braved the ocean at its  _ worst,  _ so why can’t I… I...”

Crowley’s reassuring touch didn’t leave his shoulder as Medina was pulled helplessly against him by a powerful tail.

“There’s nothing shameful about knowing your limits. We can try another night when you’re feeling better,”

“But I  _ want  _ to have sex with you two,” Medina murmured. “I want to make you both  _ happy.” _

Ezra nodded and scooted closer until he had his own arms wrapped around both of his lovers and much as they could. “I understand, but you should  _ also  _ want it for yourself; not just because it’s what you think  _ we  _ want.”

“I  _ do! _ I just… I’m just scared, I guess. I’ve never felt this way before,”

“This fear?” Crowley asked.

“This  _ want,” _

Medina shook his head in frustration. The panic was gone, as well as a good bit of the embarrassment, and all he wanted right now was to just curl up in his lovers’ arms and spend the rest of the night cuddling.

Thankfully, Crowley had always been pretty perceptive about such things and gently coaxed the three of them down into the pillows of the nest. Ezra stretched up to kiss Medina’s forehead, cheeks, and then lips with limitless patience.

“As I said, nothing else has to happen tonight without your consent. I think what sounds  _ lovely  _ right now is just a quiet night in where we can catch up with all the exciting things you’ve been doing back in civilization,” Ezra said, snuggling against his chest.

Crowley smacked his mate’s rear with his tail. “Oi! We’re  _ plenty  _ civilized out here! We’ve got… uh… hrm…”

The blond’s shoulders shook his wheezing laughter at Crowley’s frown of consternation. Medina observed the two of them in silence for a moment. He’d never had a partner before, much less two. But, if the events of this night had been anything to go by, he knew he was lucky to have them.

The rest of his anxiety melted away and he went boneless in Crowley’s hold. He let his own arms come up around Ezra to squeeze him tight, like a living, breathing plush toy. Ezra simply gave him a beaming smile and continued laughing at his mate’s increasingly frustrated attempts to boast of their island’s superiority.


	4. Newfound Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medina has a bit of a crisis, but his boyfriends are quick to assure him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a leeeetol smut in this chapter, but it's very brief and short. Starts at "Crowley was flat on his back" and ends at "Medina, who'd been" two paragraphs later lol. It's VERY short XD (Also I snuck in a pic of Medina at the end. Idk if that's what proper Naval attire looks like, but it's all the Picrew gave me to work with >3<)
> 
> CW for mild struggles with physical intimacy and neophobia (fear of new things). These things get quickly resolved, however!

The next morning, Medina woke before either of his partners did. He sat up in the nest and ran a hand through his curls, shaking his head at the memory of the previous evening’s panic attack. Everything had been going so  _ well,  _ right up until the point where Ezra had laid his hands on him. Medina stifled a groan of frustration.

It made no  _ sense! _

He had no sexual trauma in his past, no internalized panphobia, no shame regarding physical intimacy.

So  _ why  _ had he been so  _ terrified?! _

Medina tilted his head back with a sigh.

He understood why, he just didn’t want to admit it.

It’s because sex was  _ new. _

Medina prided himself on his cool head, his rational demeanor, and his take-charge attitude. Those three things are what had helped him excel in his career, and doubtless made him  _ very  _ attractive to many. However, despite it all, he harbored a  _ very real  _ neophobia and the potential loss of control it could bring.

It certainly didn’t  _ help  _ matters that, until he’d met Ezra, Medina had never had  _ any  _ form of sexual attraction to speak of. He’d admired others for their appearance in the past, absolutely, even had a few “crushes”, but he’d  _ never  _ experienced what he had felt last night. In spite of this foreign feeling regarding sex, he had  _ wanted  _ it.  _ God  _ had he wanted it, but...

Kissing, sexual attraction, physical intimacy, Hell just  _ having  _ a partner (or two in this case) were all so  _ new  _ and therefore  _ frightening.  _

Beneath the shame at his own fear churning in his gut, Medina felt the first stirrings of potential  _ regret.  _

Had he made the right choice in agreeing to enter this relationship?

What if he  _ never  _ got over his nerves?

What if he could never give his partners what they wanted?

Would they make him leave?

Would they resent him?

Would they-

Medina flinched when he felt a soft hand come to rest on his shoulder blade.

“Dear? Are you alright?” Ezra asked quietly. He had woken up to the sight of his boyfriend practically doubled over with a panicked glint in his eyes. “You’re trembling.”

Medina sucked in a calming breath through his nose. “It’s nothing, Fell,” he said tensely.

Ezra blinked in surprise. “It’s not like you to lie,” he said.

The other man, having been called out, averted his eyes.

“I… I don’t know if I can give you and Crowley what you want,” he said, hugging his arms across his own bare chest.

“And what is it you think we want that you can’t give?” Ezra asked, growing uncomfortably confused.

_ “Sex!” _

Medina clapped a hand over his mouth and Crowley jerked awake with a snort and a, “Hngwah-?”

Ezra scooted in front of his boyfriend. “Are you still upset about what happened last night?”

“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. I’m… scared,”

“About what?” he pressed.

“I’m scared that I might not be able to work up the courage to take that… final step with you two,” Medina admitted, squirming nervously. “And I’m worried that you two won’t want me around anymore if I… if I can’t.”

“That’sss  _ bollocks!”  _ Crowley exclaimed, only half awake.

Ezra nodded. “He’s right, dear. Physical intimacy may be something that’s important to  _ Crowley and I,  _ as a couple, but it doesn’t have to be for the  _ three of us.  _ If the furthest you ever want to go with us is simply kissing, then we’d  _ still  _ want you to be ours!” he stated, trying to get Medina to look at him, to see the  _ truth  _ in his words.

The naval captain didn’t for what felt like too long a time. Then, tentatively, he tilted his head a little to  _ finally  _ look at his partner.

“You… do you mean it?” he asked, practically whispered.

“Eeeyup,” Crowley said sleepily, popping the ‘P’. He draped himself over Medina’s back and buried his face in messy, black curls. The human ‘oof’-ed and practically fell over under the sudden weight. “You’re fine, Boat Human. Ezra and I don’t want you goin’ anywhere.”

“Indeed,” Ezra concurred, taking one of Medina’s hands in his. “Go at your own pace, dear, and whatever you decide to do, we’ll still be here.”

Crowley made a snake-ish rumble of agreement and nuzzled deeper into his boyfriend’s hair. The relief of it all had Medina pitching forward onto his stomach, with the naga pinning him down beneath his bulk. Crowley simply continued making as close to a purr as a serpent could reasonably get as Medina struggled to wiggle free.

“Geddoff me, you giant… whatever!” he laughed, clawing at the ground in a futile attempt to drag himself out from under Crowley.

Ezra took pity on the poor, squirming man and dragged his mate away by his underarms. Medina gave him a look of gratitude before standing up and rummaging through his suitcase for a fresh change of clothes. “So, what are mornings typically like on Ilha de Crowley-Fell?” 

The first half of “Crowley-Fell” settled into the blankets.

“Sssleeping in!” he said crankily, covering his face with a pillow.

Medina reared back in mock-outrage. “Such idleness! What would your mate think?” he joked, placing a hand on his hip.

“His mate would think that a morning cuddle puddle sounds  _ divine,”  _ Ezra said, crawling across the pile of blankets and pillows to rest his head atop Crowley’s chest.

Medina chuckled as he pulled on a pair of shorts. 

_ “You two  _ might like to sleep in, but  _ I’m  _ an early-bird,” he said. “I’m gonna take a walk down to the beach. If you behave, I might even bring back a shell or two.”

Without lifting the pillow from his face, Crowley’s tail flicked out and playfully smacked Medina’s leg.

***~*~*~*~***

The early-morning sea had always held a special place in Medina’s heart. While it wasn’t safe to go swimming at that time, wading into the surf and jogging up and down the length of the shore was a good way to exercise one’s legs.

Medina’s chest puffed as he ran, kicking up sand and saltwater behind him. Working out, he had found, was one of the  _ best  _ ways to clear his head. 

He was comforted by Ezra’s reassurance that neither he nor Crowley intended to end their relationship, but his mind was still somewhat preoccupied with the events of the previous night. Despite Medina ending things early, he was still determined to… have sex.

God, even just  _ thinking  _ the word had him blushing tomato-red with heat flooding south.

He slowed his run and covered his face with his hands. He thought back to the kisses the three of them had shared. Medina’s own had been tentative and inexperienced, but his partners’ were confident, claiming,  _ exciting!  _ He remembered how he had been so shaky with breathless want, his blood turning to liquid fire in his veins. At that moment, he hadn’t  _ wanted  _ to be touched.

He’d  _ needed  _ to be.

Medina uncovered his face. That new, but soon-to-be familiar, hum under his skin was back, and this time it didn’t bring fear and uncertainty with it. It brought a newfound resolution and a giddy excitement that came from knowing that, even if it didn’t work out, his partners would be there to catch him.

Medina waded out of the surf, snatched up his sandals to put them back on, and ran back for the nest.

He was going to try again!

***~*~*~*~***

Crowley rolled onto his side and walked his fingers across Ezra’s hip. “Sooo… how long do you think Medina’s gonna be gone?” he asked.

Ezra lifted his arm from where he’d been covering his eyes with it and smirked. 

_ “You  _ have a nefarious idea in mind, don’t you?” he teased, sitting up. 

“‘Nefarious’? Why, angel, I’m insulted,” Crowley purred, tracing his mate’s lower lip with a thumb. His eyes raked hungrily over the blond, who was still only wearing the same underthings he had fallen asleep in.

_ “You  _ are a  _ dreadful  _ menace,” Ezra tittered, craning his head up to claim the other’s mouth in a kiss.

The hand on Ezra’s hip tightened and they rolled until Crowley had the smaller man atop him, hips rolling together in a slow, steady rhythm. Ezra gasped at the friction through his boxers. Crowley ran his hands up bare thighs, before sneaking them around to cup his mate’s generous arse. 

Ezra lifted himself up a little to allow his boxers to be pulled down enough to expose his rapidly hardening length. 

“What do you want to do?” Crowley asked. “Do you want to sssssuck me? Do you want me to fuck you?” 

Ezra cried out wantonly, back arching and hips grinding down on the spot where his mate’s hemipenes were beginning to emerge. In response, Crowley sat upright and buried his face in the crook of his neck, kissing the soft, milky skin now slightly tanned from their time spent in the tropical sun.

The sweet, floral scent of his mate made the naga’s mouth water. Ezra flushed. With eyes half-lidded, he looked down at Crowley with love and lust in equal measure. The redhead looked nearly wild, slit pupils almost wide enough to appear human.

Ezra leaned down to kiss him. Crowley made a low, needy sound.

From there, things proceeded in their usual fashion.

***~*~*~*~***

Medina braced himself against the entrance to the cave which housed his and his partners’ nest. He paused to catch his breath, wishing a bit that he hadn’t decided to practically  _ sprint  _ the entire way back. His shirt clung to him, almost completely soaked through with sweat and he briefly debated whether or not it would be prudent of him to wash off in the rock pool before beginning his grand seduction attempt.

It became a moot point, however, when his ears picked up some strange sounds coming from further in. Curious, he passed under the entryway and into the cooler air of the cave. He spared a moment to revel in the pleasant change of temperature before he continued following the noises.

As he approached the nest proper, he was able to distinguish that it was actually  _ two  _ separate sounds: one a soft, low growl and the other a high, breathless gasp. Medina didn’t have time to ponder exactly why that last one sounded so familiar as he rounded the corner into the nest and felt his brains melt out his ears and onto the floor.

Crowley was flat on his back, hands gripping Ezra’s thighs as he thrust upwards into the pliant body astride his waist. Ezra, for his part, had one hand fisted into his own hair and the other frantically tugging on his cock. “Yes! I’m almost…  _ please,  _ my love!”

The blonde moved his hands to plant them atop his mate’s chest as he ground down one final time and cried out wildly, painting Crowley’s stomach with his spend. The naga himself arched his back, releasing inside Ezra so fiercely that scales erupted up the length of his arms and under his eyes.

Medina, who’d been rooted to the spot in a mixture of sudden,  _ desperate  _ arousal and punch-drunk surprise, finally scraped together enough coherence to squeak out, “Wha- you- dghh…”

Ezra instantly jerked up (from where he’d been bent over and kissing his mate) like his spine was suddenly replaced by whipcord. He snatched up a blanket and threw it around his waist to conceal where he and Crowley were still joined. “M-Medina, dear boy! Didn’t think you’d be back so soon!”

Crowley covered his face with both hands, though his deep-red blush practically shone through anyways. “How long have you been sssstanding there?” he asked, refusing to look at his boyfriend.

“J-just a minute or two,” Medina admitted embarrassedly, eyes rolling to the ceiling so he didn’t have to face his partners. “I, uh… mostly caught the, uh… the end.”

All three of them fell silent. The awkwardness was so heavy that it could practically be measured in a quantifiable manner. Crowley had gone absolutely still, like he was preparing to enter brumation, hands still resolutely hiding his mortification. Ezra stared down at the blanket covering his state of deshabille, flushing at the feel of his mate’s come dribbling out of him and thankful that it couldn’t be seen. 

As the silence dragged on, Medina could feel his bashfulness disappear like sugar dissolving in warm tea. While, admittedly, he had been startled to catch his boyfriends  _ in flagrante delicto,  _ as it were, it had actually been a boon in disguise. The sight of the two of them enjoying themselves, happy and in love and expressing it physically, had done a lot to ease Medina’s nerves regarding his first time with them. It looked exciting, it looked  _ fun,  _ it looked… enticing.

Seeing the two of them react as if it had been inappropriate, as if they were uncomfortable on  _ his  _ behalf, sent a surge of affection through Medina’s chest. 

He cleared his throat pointedly to catch their attention. “This… this doesn’t have to be awkward… if we don’t want it to be.”

“Wot?” Crowley asked, uncertain if he heard right. He peeked a single, golden eye out from between his fingers and fixed the naval captain with a cautious stare. “You’re… okay?”

“More than, actually,” Medina replied, holding his head a little higher and meeting Crowley’s stare as his confidence returned.

Ezra glanced over to him. When his eyes alighted on the noticeable bulge in the other man’s shorts, his mouth fell open a little in delighted surprise. Ezra slid off of Crowley’s waist, tying the blanket around his own as he crossed the nest to stand in front of Medina. While one hand kept the blanket up, the other delicately toyed with the dark hair at the nape of his boyfriend’s neck.

“Am I to assume, then, that you’re comfortable with trying again?” Ezra asked, pushing up on his tiptoes a little. He brought their mouths together, not quite in a kiss, but close enough to where their lips brushed when they talked.

Medina regarded him through eyes half-lidded and darkened with want. “Absolutely,” he rasped, and took the initiative to close the distance between them in a fierce, unwavering kiss.

***~*~*~*~***

**Carlos Medina**


	5. Consummation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medina puts his newfound courage to the test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically half of this chapter is smut lol. Though it DOES end at, "The naga nuzzled the top of Medina's head."

Ezra sharply sucked in a breath through his nose when he was kissed. Medina would have been  _ more  _ than happy to hear that noise every day for the rest of eternity, and promptly set about trying to wring  _ more  _ of those delicious sounds out of his boyfriend. Without breaking their kiss, Medina looped his arms around Ezra’s waist and dipped him low. The dark-haired man took further initiative, opening his mouth wider and coaxing Ezra’s to do the same to allow for the first eager touch of tongues.

Ezra’s hands wandered into his boyfriend’s hair, so much thicker than his own and coarser than Crowley’s, which flowed over his fingers like silk. He hadn’t even noticed that he was being lowered into the nest until his back hit the soft blanket-covered floor. His hands moved from Medina’s hair to his chest to push against him.

“Mmh, ah, d-dear… Me- Medina, wait!”

The man in question jumped back, hands held up as if he were being mugged. “Oh… oh no! Ezra, I- I’m so sorry! I was too rough, wasn’t I?” he gasped, wide-eyed with regret.

“No, no, not at all!” Ezra replied quickly, pushing himself up a little on his elbows. The blanket around his waist slipped a bit, revealing the top of wide hips and the barest peek of a patch of cream-colored curls between his legs. “I just, well…  _ released _ not five minutes ago and I can’t really… er… ‘stand to attention’ as it were.”

Medina sat back on his heels with a sigh of relief.

“Right. Yeah. Forgot about that,” he chuckled, thankful that he hadn’t accidentally hurt the smaller man.

He jerked in surprise when he felt a pair of hands trace down his sides before settling on his hips. Crowley hooked his chin over his shoulder, pressing their bodies together chest-to-back.

“Doessssssn’t mean  _ you  _ can’t get something,” he purred. He pinched Medina’s hips and was rewarded with an excited shiver.

Ezra hummed in agreement and let the rest of the blanket fall away. He moved onto his hands and knees and began a slow, predatory crawl forward.

“Indeed,” he said, running his hands over his boyfriend’s thighs. “But remember, if you want to stop, let us know.”

A lascivious grin overtook Crowley’s face as he whispered into Medina’s ear, “Don’t worry, we won’t do anything too outrageous. Not  _ yet,  _ anyways.”

Medina made a flustered, choked out noise as Crowley grasped the hem of his shirt to begin tugging it up and off. When the offending garment was gone, Ezra straddled Medina’s lap to drop reassuring kisses over his face while Crowley nibbled at the junction between the dark-haired human’s neck and shoulder.

“W-wait! No fangs!” Medina pleaded as he felt sharpness scraping at his skin. “I, uh… I don’t do well with needles.” Crowley acquiesced with a slight nod, and apologized by way of a soft, sucking kiss on the spot where he’d been intending to bite.

Ezra’s hands reached down between him and Medina to fiddle with the button on his shorts.

“Thank you for establishing your boundaries,” he praised.

Medina whined through his teeth, trying to urge his boyfriend - without words - to  _ hurry up!  _

Crowley’s face  _ radiated  _ mischief. “You keep this pace up, angel, and Boat Human’s likely to explode,” he teased, and turned Medina’s face to kiss him again.

“I do believe so,”

Ezra undid Medina’s zip and began pulling his shorts and boxers off with only a  _ little  _ bit of wiggling for room.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Crowley asked, running his fingers through their boyfriend’s hair. “We can stop now.”

Medina nodded his head. “Y-yeah. I’m ready. I want you both.”

“You’re doing  _ wonderfully,”  _ Ezra cooed, as he swiftly wrapped his hand around the other man’s cock. Medina gasped sharply as he slowly began jerking him. Crowley kissed his temple, and delighted in the quiver of growing pleasure that crossed his features.

“Th- that… ha! Yes!” Medina struggled to find the proper words to say other than mindless noises, but inevitably succumbed to the reality that he’d be beyond speech for a bit.

Pre-come trickled from his tip, and Ezra used as much as he could to slick his hand for use as lubrication. Medina lurched and panted loudly. His hips tried to thrust up into the blond’s grip, but the weight on his thighs kept him pinned down. Crowley kissed away his shout, then Ezra took a turn, balancing himself on his knees to lean forward for a kiss of his own.

“I’ve thought for some time about how gorgeous you’d look beneath me,” he whispered, increasing the tightness of his hand a little and focusing his ministrations more on the head of his boyfriend’s length. “And - what delight! - I was correct.”

Medina panted against Ezra’s mouth.  _ “Sh-shit! Ah!  _ Can’t wait to- to see  _ you  _ under-  _ fuck!” _

Ezra silenced him with a kiss that had the poor man’s body tingling all the way down to the tips of his toes. Crowley fisted his hand into Medina’s hair and pulled his head back a little, breaking the kiss. His yellow-gold eyes  _ blazed. _

“That’sss right,” he hissed. “Ssssay our names.”

Medina screwed his eyes shut against the pleasure-pain in his scalp, feeling his orgasm crest because of it. “Oh, fuck! Fuck! E- Ezr- Cr-” he tried to shout.

A hitched gasp was the only warning his partners received as Medina came. He scrabbled at where Crowley’s arms were wrapped around him and his eyes flew open. He managed to buck his hips, almost unseating Ezra entirely, who continued messily pumping him through the aftershocks. As the overwhelming pleasure in Medina’s body ebbed, Ezra and Crowley took in the sight of his flushed face, glassy eyes, and… was that a bit of drool?

Medina let his head loll back against Crowley’s shoulder as he caught his breath. He basked in the gentle affections of his two lovers, eyes fluttering shut as he breathed in the scents that were unique to them - sweet pea flowers and sandalwood. He sighed in contentment. He could hear Crowley passing Ezra a rag to wipe his hands on (as well as clean himself up from his and his mate’s previous dalliance - in hindsight Ezra probably should have done that first).

The naga nuzzled the top of Medina’s head. “You looked like you enjoyed that.”

“Are you alright? Was that okay?” Ezra asked, voice cracking nervously.

Medina sat up, his expression utterly besotted. He held his arms out. “Yeah. Yeah, it was…  _ fantastic.  _ Could I, um… could I just hold you for a bit?”

Ezra made a little noise of delight and went eagerly into his boyfriend’s arms, who squeezed him so tight as to give  _ Crowley  _ a run for his money. They both fell back into the naga’s embrace, who wrapped around them with his tail. The trio flopped into a heap in the nest.

“Well, well, looks like Boat Human’s a post-sex snuggler,” Crowley taunted, rubbing up and down the length of a dark-skinned, muscular bicep. Medina growled playfully, still not relinquishing Ezra.

“Oh bite my  _ entire arse,  _ big guy. You’re worse than I am by a  _ wide  _ margin,” he snarked, thumping at Crowley’s massive tail with his heel.

Before the two of them could devolve into further posturing, Ezra interrupted.

“So? How was your, er, first time?” he asked, fidgeting uncomfortably like he might have done something wrong.

Medina hummed in consideration, then broke out into a wide grin. “It was great!” he laughed, then became somewhat somber. “I… I didn’t think I’d ever get to have this.”

“What do you mean?” Crowley asked, propping himself up on an elbow and resting his head on his palm.

“You’re going to think it’s kind of dumb, but, well… I never really  _ had  _ a relationship before you two. It was never something that was important for me. My job was my life,” Medina admitted, rolling onto his back but keeping an arm around Ezra’s shoulders.

“In that case, we’re flattered to have been your first,” Crowley said with a pleased flick of his tail. “In  _ every  _ sense of the word.”

“What changed?” Ezra asked. He felt his boyfriend’s hand squeeze his shoulder lightly.

“Meeting you,” Medina said softly. He cupped Ezra’s face with his free hand. “At least, sort of. When I’d been assigned to your ‘search’, I did a bit of digging about who you were. I read one of your books, and watched a few interviews. I was…  _ enchanted.  _ I didn’t honestly expect to find you alive, so it didn’t really go beyond a sort of hero-worship. But then, when I met you for real, well…”

“You weren’t exactly  _ subtle,”  _ Crowley said teasingly, burying his face in Medina’s shoulder blades and smirking.

Medina’s face reddened. “Cut me some slack! I’m new!” he joked. “It certainly didn’t help matters when I got to know  _ you.  _ We may have had some… conflict, at first, but I  _ very quickly  _ realized why Ezra chose to be your mate.”

Crowley flipped a lock of hair over his shoulder with a pleased smile.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Boat Human,” he said proudly. “You’re warm, strong, and you make my mate happy. Also you make…  _ me  _ happy.”

Medina craned his neck backwards a little to look at Crowley. Sky-blue eyes met bright yellow ones that glowed with a faint vulnerability.

“You make me happy too, big guy,” he said quietly, then faced the blond man still in his arms. “You  _ both  _ do.”

It wasn’t a love confession, not quite. But, after all, happiness and love are so often intertwined that there really isn’t any difference.


	6. The Second Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Medina returns for his second visit to the island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly? This chapter is just straight FILTH. LITERALLY might be the porniest thing I've written to-date. If that ain't your cuppa, feel free to wait until the NEXT chapter. You won't miss any plot here lol. There's also a LOT of comedic awkwardness typical with one exploring a new sexual dynamic.

**4 Days Later**

With a phoney grunt of exertion, Crowley hefted Medina’s suitcase and hurled it onto the boat. It thudded on the deck and popped open, spilling his clothes everywhere, but the dark-haired human couldn’t find it in himself to care. He squeezed Ezra as tight as he could, unwilling to waste even a  _ second  _ of their last few minutes together before he had to return his job.

“I’ll miss you both,” he whispered.  _ “So much.” _

“How long until your next break?” Ezra sniffed. “When can we see you again?”

Medina grimaced, resting his chin on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Not for two more months, unfortunately.”

_ “Wot?!”  _ Crowley squawked loud enough to startle some seagulls from their roosts. “Two  _ bleedin’ months?!” _

“That’s just how it goes, unfortunately,” Medina replied with a sad smile.

The naga didn’t hesitate then to swoop forward and wind his coils around both his mate and his boyfriend, sandwiching all three of them together.

“Hmph. I should just keep you right here,” he grumbled, wriggling his way between them. “The whole ‘missing and presumed dead’ thing worked  _ once  _ already, didn’t it?”

“No can do, big guy,” Medina said, arching an amused brow.

Crowley sighed in over-dramatic frustration and loosened the loop of his tail, allowing the three of them to separate.

“Do be safe, dear. Radio us once you’ve made it back to shore,” Ezra pleaded, placing a gentle hand on his boyfriend’s arm.

Medina leaned down to kiss his cheek.

“I promise, beautiful. I’ll see you soon,” he whispered in his ear, brushing away an errant white curl.

***~*~*~*~***

**2 Months Later**

Medina had just  _ barely  _ stepped off the boat and onto the sand when he was instantly assailed by five meters of clinging naga. The poor man had exactly half a second to yelp in surprise before he was knocked backwards into the surf. A wave splashed over Medina’s face and he would have swallowed a gulp of seawater had he not been given an intense, toe-curling kiss.

Instinctively, he raised his arms and wrapped them around Crowley’s shoulders. Medina tasted his boyfriend’s mouth, reacquainting himself after too long a separation. Thankfully, his kisses still remained wonderfully familiar and he hoped Ezra’s would be too.

Speak of the devil…

“For Heaven’s sake, darling, let the poor dear go,” Ezra tutted, pulling Crowley up. “You’re going to drown him.”

Crowley moved away, with great reluctance, and Medina propped himself up on his elbows to keep his head above another small wave. “What a way to go, though,” he said with a dreamy sigh.

Ezra laughed and helped pull him to his feet. For a moment, he was taken by how fetchingly Medina’s wet clothes clung to the broad slope of his chest, but fussiness won out. “Dear, you’re  _ soaked!  _ We should get you out of those clothes and into something drier before you… you…” He quite forgot what he’d been meaning to say and bit his lip.

“See something you like?” Medina demurred, stretching his hands behind his back with a teasing smirk. His pectorals flexed under the clingy fabric of his shirt and Ezra felt a little bit more of the blood in his brain relocate south.

Crowley leaned forward to purr in his mate’s ear. “Yeah, angel,” he said in a low voice, heavy with temptation.  _ “Is _ there sssssomething?”

Ezra tittered nervously and Medina smiled at him indulgently. “W-well, I, erm…” the blond stuttered. “Is, ah… reunion sex on the table for today?”

Crowely let out a sharp bark of laughter at the same time Medina stepped forward to place his hands on his boyfriend’s hips. “It’s  _ absolutely  _ on the table,” he said, and leaned down to whisper, “And  _ you  _ would be too, if we had one.”

“Goodness!” Ezra yelped with a pleased flush. “Where on  _ Earth  _ did you learn to talk like that?”

Medina smiled shyly. “Well, after my first ever tour of duty, I took a civvie job for a year as a burlesque dancer. I… learned a few interesting things.”

Crowley and Ezra didn’t even bother hiding the interest in their eyes.

“Now that you’re a bit more ‘comfortable’ in the bedroom, think you could show us some of those  _ ‘thingssss’?”  _ the naga asked, draping himself over Ezra’s back and shooting Medina a wink.

“I mean… the three of us haven’t really gone beyond a few handjobs back and forth, so it might not be as good as you hope,” their boyfriend mumbled, unable to look either of them in the eye.

Before he could apologize for his relative lack of experience compared to the two of them, both of his hands were gently taken. One in a soft, pale hand and the other in a tanned, calloused one.

“We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it a million times: you don’t have to do anything with us that you aren’t comfortable with,” Ezra replied in a gentle tone. “Whatever you decide to do will be perfect because it’s  _ you.” _

Medina felt a surge of gratitude and affection swell up in his chest. He didn’t know  _ what  _ he did to deserve such loving, understanding partners, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain or wave a metaphorical relationship receipt at God while shouting, “Hey! I think you gave me the wrong order!”

With that in mind, he stepped forward to kiss the men who had shown him so much patience, first Ezra, and then Crowley. When he pulled away, his grin was infectious.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” he asked excitedly, and began tugging them towards the nest.

***~*~*~*~***

It’s about this point in the narrative where one expects passionate, furious lovemaking. Perhaps one rips off their shirt, another sobs to be taken, a third might answer with a lustful growl.

Alas, as Medina had warned, the reality does not always live up to expectation.

The three of them had made it as far as heavy snogging and petting, as well as complete undressing, before things ground to a stuttering halt.

“So, um… how are we going to do this?” Medina asked nervously as he sat seiza-style in the nest. “I mean, Crowley do you even have an, erm…”

Crowley stared at him, deadpan. “An arsehole, right?” he asked, arms crossed across his chest. “Is  _ that  _ what you’re asking if I have?”

“Not in  _ so  _ many words,” his boyfriend laughed, despite the blush on his face.

Crowley returned it. “I have a cloaca,” he replied, gesturing at the spot where his hemipenes would emerge. “But the space is kind of… occupied. You can’t really stick anything in there.”

“And believe us, we tried once. Things got rather awkward and painful quite fast from there so we don’t do that anymore,” Ezra said with a skittish giggle.

Medina frowned, clearly confused.

“But then how do you go to the bath-”

Crowley surged across the space between them to clap a hand over the human’s mouth.

_ “Dont. Ask.”  _ he hissed.

He only took his hand away once Medina nodded furiously and gave him a thumbs-up.

“What about  _ you,  _ my dear? Is there any preference you think you’ll have?” Ezra asked, taking his boyfriend’s hand comfortingly in his own.

Medina turned his face to him with a soft, fond smile. “Whatever you’re willing to give me,” he said. There wasn’t even the barest hint of trepidation in his voice. “If we try something and I don’t like it, I’ll let you know.”

Ezra’s heart swelled from the amount of trust that the other man was placing in the two of them. He would have clasped both hands over his chest and fainted backwards like a swooning Victorian maiden were he not interrupted.  _ “I  _ have an idea in mind,” Crowley teased, and both of his lovers couldn’t help but lean forward a little in anticipation. The naga’s smile curved upwards, becoming almost predatory. “How good are you with your mouth?”

“Well, I’ve never given a blowjob before,” Medina admitted. He did his best to fight down the embarrassed flush at his own admission. “But you should see what I can do with a cherry stem.”

Ezra made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a gasp, and Crowley slithered forward a little. He cupped Medina’s face with a tender hand.

“Is that sssomething you’d like to try?” Crowley asked, his concern breaking through the hunger in his eyes.

Medina fixed him with a steady stare. He could  _ feel  _ the excitement thrumming in the air between them like heat off a tarmac. “Yes,” he replied honestly, holding the other’s gaze. “I don’t think I could fit  _ both  _ of them in my mouth, but-”

“I do believe  _ I  _ can help with that,” Ezra said, scooting to sit beside Medina and stare up at Crowley through his eyelashes.

The sight of his two lovers, kneeling side-by-side, stark naked and eager for his cocks, had Crowley’s hemipenes emerging so fast that they practically broke the sound barrier. Medina laughed lightly and didn’t hesitate to take the left one in hand.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” he said good-naturedly, giving it a lazy pump. He grinned at the shiver he received in response.

“I think that just might be your catchphrase,” Ezra teased with no real malice, and licked up the underside of the other hemipene’s shaft before taking it into his mouth completely.

“So how do I…  _ not  _ accidentally bite his dick?” Medina asked his boyfriend.

Ezra unlatched with a wet pop causing Crowley to whine in frustration.

“Cover your teeth with your lips, like you’re pretending you’re an old man without dentures,” Ezra replied, demonstrating.

Despite the near spine-crumbling arousal pumping through his veins, Crowley managed to make a sour face.

_ “Really,  _ angel?  _ That’s  _ the comparison you’re going with?” he demanded.

Ezra glared at his mate as he resumed his oral ministrations, making sure to give the  _ tiniest  _ scrape of teeth along the length just to show he meant business. Medina observed for a few moments before giving a shrug. He experimentally licked the cock in his hand from root to tip, and Crowley cried out at the twin stimulations. Emboldened by the positive reaction, Medina sucked the tip between his lips, but went no lower, simply savoring the way it filled his mouth. Crowley instinctively bucked his hips to seek out more and Medina almost stumbled back, but managed to catch himself.

Unfortunately, he did so by fisting a hand into the back of Ezra’s curls and  _ slamming  _ the blond’s face flush against Crowley’s pelvis. Ezra gagged a little at the surprise deep-throating and Medina yanked his hand back at the same time he unlatched from Crowley’s cock.

“Oh  _ fuck,  _ Fell! I’m so sorry!” he yelped, and moved to aid him.

“Nonono, keep him there,” Crowley panted. “He likes that.”

“Wha- really?”

Sure enough, Ezra gave him a dazed smile and a thumbs-up in a parallel to his own earlier. Tentatively, still somewhat unsure if such a gesture was welcome, Medina placed a hand on the back of Ezra’s head to keep him in place. The blond responded positively with a debauched moan and his eyes fluttering shut. Deciding to go a little further, Medina’s open palm in Ezra’s hair turned to a closed fist and he pulled and pushed against his boyfriend’s head, taking control of the depth and speed of the other’s blowjob.

His cautious explorations were rewarded with another moan, this one breathless with need, and Ezra let his hands fall primly to his own lap as he surrendered.  _ “Fuck  _ that’s hot,” Medina gasped.

“Y-you’re te- telling  _ me?”  _ Crowley chuckled.

Medina shot him a playful glare and his boyfriend was  _ not  _ prepared for the sudden speed and eagerness of him returning to sucking his other cock as he physically directed Ezra to do the same. Medina could only get halfway down before gagging, but it hardly mattered to Crowley, who doubled-over with a howl and gripped the sides of the naval captain’s head; not to keep him in place, but to simply hold on for dear life.

Medina flattened and swirled his tongue around the thick head of his boyfriend’s cock, constantly trying to take a little more in with every bob of his head. He let his eyes fall shut, tightening his hold in Ezra’s hair, who held no complaints if his pleased shiver was anything to go by. He guided the other man’s head up and down Crowley’s length and Ezra took it all with practiced ease that Medina hoped to one day be able to match.

And there was no time like the present to practice.

At two particularly enthusiastic sucks, Crowley was reduced to garbled praises and moans with the occasional feeble whimper or sharp gasp. Medina’s fingers dug into Ezra’s scalp and  _ pressed _ and the blond sobbed with pleasure as he took his mate all the way to the back of his throat over and over again.

Crowley’s head rolled back. “Fuck, oh  _ fuck!  _ Ggh-  _ yes!” _

Medina opened his eyes and stared, transfixed, at the sight of Crowley towering over him, head thrown back in mindless pleasure. The reality was  _ so much better  _ than the fantasies he had wanked himself silly to during their lengthy separation, and he felt a frisson of pride at the thought that he, in tandem with Ezra, was able to reduce his boyfriend to little more than a babbling mess of arousal. A line of spit and pre-come dribbled past Medina’s lips to drip onto his own knees, filthy and  _ perfect. _

Crowley cried out a wordless warning and yanked Medina’s mouth away. Before Medina could ask what was wrong, Crowley came with a shout that dropped to a low growl, painting the dark-haired human’s face with his spend. Ezra, still attached, swallowed eagerly and continued fellating through the aftershocks until Crowley slumped over, a boneless (moreso than usual), ruined, wreck of a man.

Medina closed his left eye as a drop of semen rolled down from the eyebrow above it to the cheekbone below.

“Uh… why’d you pull me away?” he asked.

“It was a courtesy,” Ezra replied, passing his boyfriend a rag. “Ejaculate is somewhat of an… acquired taste.”

“Yeah. Mine tastes like marshmallow paste,” Crowley slurred, twirling a lazy hand through the air.

Medina’s eyes lit up. “Wait, really?” he exclaimed, excited.

Ezra frowned at his mate.  _ “No!  _ He’s - what’s that lovely American expression - playing you for a sucker,” he said with a huff.

Medina made a soft noise of disappointment and returned to cleaning his face. As he scrubbed ineffectually at his sticky eyebrows, a pair of soft hands came around his chest to roam over the planes of his firm stomach.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think either of  _ us  _ are quite satisfied yet, are we?” Ezra purred, scraping his nails lightly over a nipple. God, he sounded as desperate as Medina  _ felt. _

The dark-haired man took one of Ezra’s hands and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“I couldn’t agree more,” he smirked over his shoulder. The two of them shared a soft, yet somehow still blisteringly intense, kiss. “How do you want me?”

Ezra sat back on his heels. “I think it might be more comfortable for you if you were to do the penetrating this time around.”

“You say that like it’s something that I haven’t been thinking of ever since we first started doing this,”

Medina yelped as something green and round (a berry?) beaned him right between the eyes from where Crowley had tossed it.

“Be sure to make it a good show for me,” the naga insisted.

Medina laughed sarcastically as Ezra laid back in the nest and spread his legs invitingly.

“Do you know how to prepare me or should I do it myself?” the blond asked, lips curling up slightly in a smile. Medina knelt between his legs, sliding a palm up pale skin from ankle to hip. Ezra looked the picture of temptation, flushed and wanton beneath his lover’s touch.

“Of course I do,” Medina said, bringing his face close. “I  _ did  _ say I learned a thing or two.”

Ezra hadn’t even noticed the slick finger approaching his entrance until he felt it breach him. He gasped, then yelped as one finger became two.

“I can’t  _ wait  _ to ssssee him inside you,” Crowley groaned, his voice heavy with want. If he hadn't already come, the sight of Medina pressing  _ three  _ fingers in and Ezra’s hands scrabbling for purchase on the blankets of their nest would have sent him clean over the edge.

“Please, I- I can’t wait any longer,” Ezra sobbed, his head thrashing back and forth. “I  _ need  _ to be filled. Now!”

“God, yes, anything,” Medina panted before pressing a forceful kiss on the other’s mouth.

The slight shift in position had the tip of his cock pressing up against Ezra’s hole, and the small hint that promised future pleasure had all coherent thought that wasn’t  _ “moremoremore”  _ flying out of the blond’s head.

Ezra pushed  _ down  _ at the same time Medina pressed  _ in. _

The two of them came together, inch by glorious inch, until they were cleaved chest-to-chest, gasping into each other’s mouths. Medina wasn’t as long as Crowley, but he was  _ thick  _ and Ezra felt deliriously full.

“Shit, Fell. Fuck! Can I- can I move?” Medina asked at the same time Ezra cried, “Please,  _ move!” _

The two of them paused for a moment to share in a laugh at their own silliness before Medina gave them both what they wanted. He pulled out slowly and Ezra moaned at the exquisite drag of his boyfriend’s length inside of him. Then, Medina pushed back in with one smoothe thrust and held it for a moment, twitching against the vice-like feel around his cock.

“You can pick up the pace, if you want,” Crowley breathed, pupils blown wide. “He can take it.”

Ezra smiled up at Medina and nodded, who in turn swallowed and whispered, “O… okay.”

Permission given, he immediately set a driving pace, seemingly calculated to send Ezra out of his mind. The blond’s legs reflexively hooked together at the ankles behind Medina’s back.

“Ah-  _ ah!  _ Oh d-dear you feel so- so- mnh!  _ Good!”  _ he wailed.

“You’re so beautiful I can’t-” Medina shivered, hips pumping relentlessly. “I can’t stop! I love y- I love it!”

He thrust faster, hitting Ezra’s prostate. Eventually, Medina fell onto his elbows, pressing his face against Ezra’s to rasp into his ear whatever filthy nonsense came to mind.

_ “Mine,”  _ Ezra babbled. “Y-you’re mine, aren’t you?”

No longer able to resist touching, Crowley slithered forward and ran a hand affectionately through Medina’s curls, who didn’t slow his movements in the least. The naga licked his lips with a forked tongue at the  _ delicious  _ sight. “He’s  _ both of ours,  _ you greedy little thing,” he said chidingly, giving his mate an indulgent smile.

Medina choked on a whine, his cock pressing as deep into the body beneath him as it could physically go. That final push was all it took for the both of them, and Ezra spilled into the space between their chests with a sob. 

The erratic clenching around his cock sent a current of electricity pulsing throughout Medina’s body that was  _ blinding  _ in its intensity. He came with a spasm deep inside Ezra, fists clenching hard enough to leave eight crescent-shaped red marks on the skin of his own palms. He was only  _ vaguely  _ aware of both his partners cooing soothing words at him as he dropped down atop Ezra, blanketing the smaller man completely with his much larger body.

Medina’s breath came in rapid bursts, his heart beating a frantic tattoo before gradually slowing to its proper resting rate. He reluctantly rolled aside, pulling out with an obscene noise and flopping onto his back with an arm thrown over his eyes. Ezra turned onto his side and kissed up the column of his boyfriend’s neck, who didn’t hesitate to loop his free arm around his shoulders.

“So, how are you feeling, you  _ gorgeousssss  _ things?” Crowley asked, laying down beside Ezra and draping his tail over all four of their legs.

“I feel like I’d like to get cleaned up,” Ezra laughed, thighs twitching from exertion. A little bit of Medina’s seed dripped out of him as if to really drive the point home. “What about you dear?” He turned his head to look at his boyfriend.

Medina uncovered his eyes and gave a lovestruck, lopsided smile. Then, in a sudden flurry of movement, he twisted so that he was on his side with Ezra pressed against his back, spooning up behind him. The naval captain hugged one of Ezra’s arms to his chest with a noise that was eerily similar to an actual purr.

“I am  _ fantastic,”  _ he said, snuggling closer.

“That’s wonderful, darling, but I’d really like to clean-”

Crowley’s hand came to rest on Ezra’s hip, interrupting him.

“Don’t worry, angel, I’ll take care of it. You jussst stay  _ right  _ where you are,”

He punctuated his statement with a flicker of a forked tongue and a knowing smirk. Ezra’s eyes went wide for a split second and he turned back to hide his face in Medina’s shoulder blades.

“Oh, well… in that case, have at it then,”

Crowley chuckled indulgently and obliged him. 


	7. First Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin: The boys have their first major argument.

The next day found Medina sitting cross-legged in the nest, various papers scattered around him in a semi-circle. The tip of his tongue stuck out in concentration as he idly twirled a pen between his fingers.

Ezra leaned over his shoulder, squinting at the practically microscopic typeface. 

“What’s all this?” he asked, waving towards the chaos.

“It’s my Service Contract,” Medina replied distractedly, tapping his pen on the side of his own head with a  _ taptaptap.  _ “My active duty ends in two months, and I’m considering signing up for another.”

Ezra’s hands instinctively wrung together as they always did when he heard something distressing. His heart leapt to his throat, choking his words.

“So… so soon?” he questioned, face falling in dismay.

Medina shrugged, returning to his paperwork. “Well not  _ right away.  _ I was thinking of taking a month or two off and relaxing. I’d go visit my family more, spend some time  _ here,  _ you know how it is,” he said.

“Oh that’s, um… that’s jolly good,” Ezra replied, continuing to fidget. Medina recognized the worry in his partner’s tone and stood up to embrace him.

“Aw, don’t worry about me, beautiful,” he sighed happily, holding Ezra close. “The Coast Guard doesn’t usually see active combat apart from wartime, so I’m not in any danger or anything like that.”

Ezra’s hands came up to return the hug. “Oh, I’m aware. It’s just… well…”

Medina pulled away, but kept his arms around Ezra. “‘It’s just’ what?” he asked, somewhere between confused and worried. He frowned. “Do… do you  _ not  _ want me to renew my contract?”

“How long will this one be?” the blond asked, dodging the question.

“Four years,” Medina answered. “I won’t lie, the only reason I’ve been able to come visit so frequently is because my old contract was close to expiring and I had some free time. I’ll likely be pretty busy when I renew it.”

Ezra felt like his heart had been crushed to pulp in his chest. The  _ last  _ thing he wanted was to make his partner feel like he was forced to choose between him or his dreams. But…

He couldn’t stifle the whimper that slipped out, his bottom lip wobbling. “But that’s so  _ long!”  _ he exclaimed, before clenching his jaw to keep himself from saying anything else too pathetic and needy.

Medina held his arms out in bafflement. “That wasn’t a problem when the three of us  _ first  _ got together. I distinctly remember telling you both that a lot of our relationship would be spent long-distance because of my job, and you were okay with that. What changed?” he asked.

Ezra opened his mouth to answer, but found that he couldn’t. Just what  _ had  _ changed? Beyond the new physical aspect of their relationship, everything was still largely the same. Their conversations weren’t different, nor were any of their interactions.

No, actually.

That last one wasn’t quite true.

Ever since that first visit, every interaction, every kiss, hug, conversation, and laugh, had gradually gotten… softer. There was no other way for Ezra to describe it. Crowley still teased Medina relentlessly about whatever came to mind, but his verbal jabs never held quite as much of that sharpness to them. Ezra still shamelessly flirted, but his flirtations always carried with them the promise of something filled with love when-

_ Oh… _

Despite the kilometers of ocean separating Medina from them most of the time, despite the lengthy time between visits, Ezra had gone and fallen in love with the shy, sweet, man before him.

_ “Oh well done, old boy! At least you waited a bit longer with  _ **_this_ ** _ one!”  _ he thought bitterly.

He wasn’t sure if Crowley had fallen in love with their shared partner as well, but it was  _ certainly  _ something Ezra needed to discuss with him before he jumped headlong into any romantic confessions.

_ God forbid I confess and it turns out I’m alone in my affections. I’d look quite foolish, wouldn’t I? _

He noticed that, while he’d been lost in his own mini-crisis, Medina had been patiently waiting for an answer.

_ Oh, he’s always so stoic, isn’t he? It’s no wonder I fell for him. Goodness that’s fun to say! Er, think. _

Ezra let his hands still. “Um, nothing’s changed, really,” he lied. “It’s just that… you don’t  _ have  _ to re-enlist, you know.”

“I don’t? What  _ else  _ would I do?”

“Well, perhaps you could…”

_ Don’t say it! _

“...stay with us. Here. If you’d like,”

Medina blinked once and let his arms drop to his side. His brow creased in the middle, obviously perplexed.

“Like… moving in? To a deserted island? Just the three of us? Forever?” he asked, voice cracking a little on the last word.

Ezra deeply wished he hadn’t opened his big mouth, and wanted to take back his words, certain that he had made a mistake in suggesting that Medina come live with them. Ezra, however, was not a coward and plowed bravely (but stupidly) ahead. “Well, it wouldn’t be  _ just  _ the three of us… there’d be Crowley’s sisters,” he explained lamely.

Medina sighed. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he huffed, running a hand through his dark curls, his tell for stress.

“Then what  _ did  _ you mean?” Ezra asked, half-desperately.

“I  _ mean  _ that you’re asking me to give up what matters most to me to - what? - spend the rest of my life living like a beach bum?” Medina explained, body tensing like he was about to flee.

“What… what  _ does  _ matter most to you?” his partner asked in a soft, fragile voice. Tears prickled his eyes and his heart cracked. 

“My  _ job,  _ obviously!” Medina exclaimed, throwing his hands out at his sides. “That’s what this whole… well I don’t wanna call it an ‘argument’ strictly, was about! You want me to give up my dream to come live with you!”

Ezra wanted to protest, defend himself against that horrible accusation, but all he could think about was how Medina was standing there and blatantly telling him that he and Crowley weren’t the most important things in his life. Deep down, past the hurt, he understood. Ezra would  _ never  _ force their partner to choose them over what made him happiest. That’d have been like Crowley forcing him to choose between him and writing.

Although, Ezra  _ had  _ chosen Crowley. Not  _ initially,  _ but… he did in the end, didn’t he? The hurt at not being Medina’s “most important” was then immediately crushed under the swooping weight of the  _ indignance  _ at being accused of manipulation. The blond closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.

_ It’s alright, old boy, he meant no harm. He’s just upset; maybe a little confused. Just calmly explain to him that you’re  _ **_not_ ** _ trying to control him… _

Ezra stepped forward, taking one of Medina’s hands in his. To his immense relief, he wasn’t rebuked. The dark-haired man still looked upset, but his thumb was brushing over Ezra’s knuckles. “Dear, I’m not asking you to give up  _ anything.  _ Don’t you know me? Have I  _ ever  _ made you feel like you had to do something against your will?”

“I… no. No you haven’t,” sighed Medina.

Ezra gave a pleased hum as he was pulled forward into an apologetic hug. He lifted his eyes to meet Medina’s own steel-blue ones, which swam with contrition. “If at all possible, I’d like an apology for what you said - about me trying to force you to stay here,” Ezra said sternly.

“You’re right. I am  _ so sorry  _ for what I said. I don’t…  _ handle  _ loss of control well and I guess I just panicked,” Medina said, his arms tightening around Ezra’s waist a fraction.

“It’s alright, my dear, we all have moments where we react badly because we’re scared,”

“Yeah. Even if I  _ wanted to,  _ I don’t think I could simply walk away from my job like you did,” he chuckled, the words spilling heedlessly out of his mouth. Ezra stiffened in his hold. “Search and Rescue isn’t like writing a book. What I do is  _ important.” _

Medina went to kiss Ezra, but the blond ducked out of the circle of his arms, leaving him bereft. Ezra felt sick. “You think I just ‘walked away’ from  _ my  _ dream?” he asked numbly. “My writing?” 

Medina squirmed uncomfortably. “No! Of course not! That was just a bad choice of words!” he exclaimed.

“Well what about your work being more ‘important’?” Ezra demanded, stepping closer to his boyfriend. His fists were clenched at his sides to keep them from trembling. “Admittedly, writing may not be as  _ urgent  _ as rescuing people, but don’t you  _ dare  _ say it’s not important!”

“I never  _ said  _ it wasn’t!” Medina said slowly, holding the other’s gaze. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I think we’re just miscommunicating.”

It all came down on Ezra, then. His realization, in combination with the object of his affection declaring him to be secondary and Medina’s careless remark about his former writing career, all coalesced into an incandescent ball of hurt that lodged itself in his chest.

Ezra glowered. “No, I understand you  _ perfectly,”  _ he said acerbically. “You appear to think that I ‘walked away from my job’ rather than  _ falling overboard and having my entire life upended,  _ and that what I did beforehand wasn’t ‘important’. You think I’d  _ willingly  _ give up my old life?!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised because that’s exactly what you’re asking  _ me  _ to do!” Medina shot back, voice raising to match Ezra’s.

“Angel, you... are you sssaying you regret coming here?”

The two men whipped their heads towards the entrance of the nest at the sound of Crowley’s soft, almost timid voice.

The naga seemed to have tucked into himself, his eyes widening in hurt.

The last thread of Ezra’s temper snapped. “ _ Oh God d… bless it!  _ Let’s  _ all  _ accuse me of terrible things, why don’t we?”

He stomped his way right past his partners and out of the nest, unsure of where he wanted to go, so long as it wasn’t  _ there. _

***~*~*~*~***

_ Well… I fucked  _ **_that_ ** _ right up. _

Medina ruffled own curls and toed awkwardly at a sheet of his contract, before moving forward to take one of Crowley’s hands in his. The naval captain sighed. “Come on, big guy, he… that was my fault, what Ezra said.”

Crowley tore his eyes away from where Ezra had stormed off, and glanced down at where their hands were joined. Some of his hurt was soothed at Medina’s admittance, but that simply cleared the way for confusion. “What do you mean? How is this your fault?” he asked, his tail curling around his partner’s ankle in a subconscious gesture of reassurance.

Medina took his hands away to once again return to running through his own hair. “Well, to make a long story short, Ezra brought up the idea of me moving here and I didn’t take it as well as I should have,” he said, shame-facedly. “I said some unintentionally mean things, and he lost his cool.”

“So you…  _ don’t  _ want to come live with us?” Crowley asked with a wary glance at the other man. “Why not?”

Medina averted his eyes. “It’s complicated,” he said dismissively.

_ I’m scared. _

_ I can’t do it. _

_ If I give up everything and you two decide you no longer want me, where would I be then? _

_ I’d have nothing. _

“I can respect that. But what did you say that’s got Ezra so upset?” Crowley asked gently. 

Medina shot a nervous side-glance at Crowley, his gut churning with guilt. “I accused him of trying to control me, and I told him his writing wasn’t as important as  _ my  _ job. I was especially careless and accidentally implied he  _ wanted  _ to end up as a castaway,” he admitted shamefully.

“You aren’t wrong on that last one. He  _ did  _ choose to stay here, eventually,”

“Yeah, but… I could’ve worded it better,” he sighed, glancing back towards the entrance of the nest.

“You want me to talk to him?” Crowley asked, laying a hand on his partner’s shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

Medina shook his head. “No. I’ll talk to him myself and apologize once he’s had time to calm down. But… could you go comfort him, at least? Make sure he’s okay?”

“Gladly,” the naga said.

With a single parting kiss, Crowley slithered out of the nest to go track down his wayward mate, leaving Medina to stew in his own guilty conscience. He considered going back to looking over his contract, but it just didn’t hold quite the same appeal as it had only an hour hence.


End file.
